Cannabiz: The Explosive Rise of the Medical Marijuana Industry

BOOK REVIEW

By John Geluardi

PoliPoint Press

There’s no shortage of books detailing the insider secrets of how the medical marijuana landscape came to be across the country—but SF Weekly writer John Geluardi’s Cannabiz is distinctive for its straightforward, blow-by-blow account of how a cannabis movement came out of the fringes and became a relatively mainstream matter across then-15 states. This streamlined book (less than 200 pages) is compelling in its subtext: medical marijuana is here and it’s not going anywhere (sorry, Montana). With a judicious amount of ink and clear-eyed exposition, Geluardi delves into all the key people, places and things; from Dennis Peron’s Prop. 215 to the rise of Oaksterdam, from the growing pains Los Angeles city dispensaries underwent to the Emerald Triangle’s place in the (literal) cannabis landscape. Balanced, sane and convincing, Cannabiz is informed, culturally astute—and a must-read to understand the issues and the industry. (Matt Tapia)